Cluster headaches affect less than one percent of the population, but their pain is so intense, so disabling, they've been given the nickname "suicide headaches."

For some cluster patients the only treatment was learning to live with the pain, at least until now.

John Strait got his first cluster headache 10 years ago.

John Strait says, “It was almost as sudden as falling on your butt."

Like most cluster sufferers, once the headaches started, John's life changed for the worse.

John says, "There were several times and weeks at a time where I may not even want to leave the house."

A patient at the Headache Care Center in Springfield the last 5 years, he tried just about every treatment there is. From medication to homeotherapy, even yoga, nothing worked and John was about to give up hope.

"I just kept praying that there was something else out there," said John.

For the doctors here at headache care center John's story is hardly unique. But with onsite research that keeps them on the cutting edge of treatment, they can often provide new hope for patients at the end of their rope.

Dr. Curtis Schreiber, Headache Care Center, says, "The rope is now longer, there's now more things that can be done for more people."

Neurologist, Dr. Curtis Schreiber has been working in the Ozarks the past 16 years. Eight at St John’s and eight at Headache Care.

"When you look at treatment options for patients with headaches it may not always be just a new prescription or a new pill from the pharmacy," said Dr. Schreiber.

In fact the treatment that finally worked for John is more known for its wrinkle relieving properties, Botox.

John says, "Botox for me has been for lack of a better word, a life saver. Even after the first time I was seeing several weeks of pain free living."

Doctors first thought Botox's muscle relaxing qualities might be the reason for its pain relieving properties. But they've since realized it's probably a little more complicated.


Dr. Schreiber says, “It probably has to do with the affect that it has on other chemical messengers on the nerves in the area around the head and neck."
No matter what the reason John's a believer. He now gets Botox twice a year, and while he still gets some headaches, they’re less painful and less frequent. Letting him lead a more fulfilling life.

Botox has also proven helpful in treating migraines and Headache Care Center has used it on several hundred patients so far.

But as with most medical procedures, there are possible risks or side effects, so always talk with your doctor.